Backup and Long Term Storage

Backup and Long Term Storage

Well, I've done enough work now that I am worried about my haphazard storage of my files.

In terms of LivriVox's interests, is it worthwhile for me to save my original Audacity recordings or might I just save the .mp3s that I have exported for upload.

I tend to collect/hoard everything of interest to me and I want to break this compulsion (which seems like a strong word to me, but, there.)

Any advice? What do you all do?

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

Posted: July 1st, 2019, 1:59 pm

by tovarisch

This has come up several times in the past few years.

The advice for storing as little as possible is "keep everything exported as FLAC - it's lossless, junk AUP files". I personally keep everything the way it's recorded along with exported MP3s. Storage is cheap.

What you hoard ought not be in the same place as you finished work. Breaking any habit is damn hard.

And... Everybody does it differently!

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

Posted: July 1st, 2019, 2:09 pm

by TriciaG

I record and edit the recording, then before any post-processing I export the file as FLAC.
Then I do post-processing (noise removal and compression), and export it as MP3.

If I have to make edits, I open up the FLAC, edit, and export the FLAC again. (It's my final, but unprocessed backup.) Do the post-processing, and export the MP3.

I save the FLAC and MP3.

I almost never save into the Audacity format. Even when recording and before editing, or any other time I am leaving with a file to save, I export it as FLAC. The only times I save into the Audacity format is when I have multiple tracks I want to preserve, or a label track. (This is mostly for dramatic readings and such.)

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

The advice for storing as little as possible is "keep everything exported as FLAC - it's lossless, junk AUP files". I personally keep everything the way it's recorded along with exported MP3s. Storage is cheap.

What you hoard ought not be in the same place as you finished work. Breaking any habit is damn hard.

And... Everybody does it differently!

You're right! It is hard! God forgive me, but right now I've just got one file called Audacity.

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

I record and edit the recording, then before any post-processing I export the file as FLAC.
Then I do post-processing (noise removal and compression), and export it as MP3.

If I have to make edits, I open up the FLAC, edit, and export the FLAC again. (It's my final, but unprocessed backup.) Do the post-processing, and export the MP3.

I save the FLAC and MP3.

I almost never save into the Audacity format. Even when recording and before editing, or any other time I am leaving with a file to save, I export it as FLAC. The only times I save into the Audacity format is when I have multiple tracks I want to preserve, or a label track. (This is mostly for dramatic readings and such.)

I'll have to look into this thing called FLAC. (I'm such an idiot-newbie.)

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

Posted: July 1st, 2019, 2:47 pm

by TriciaG

It's an acronym for "Free Lossless Audio Codec." WAV is another lossless format, but FLAC files are smaller.

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

Posted: July 1st, 2019, 3:23 pm

by philchenevert

Nice of you to ask. I keep .aup files for solos only until they are edited and turned into MP3s. Then I delete the audacity files (.aup). When the project is cataloged I just move those mp3 files to a folder sneakily named "LV Stuff I've recorded". So the only things I 'keep' would be the MP3 files but in the 8 + years I've been having fun here in LV, I've never had to even open that folder (that I can remember). Dat's it.

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

Posted: July 1st, 2019, 3:29 pm

by annise

for longterm backup program-specific files are a bad idea - you may need to change the program, your hardware may change and the files may not be usable. And with audacity, the project files cease to work if you move the folders.

Anne

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

for longterm backup program-specific files are a bad idea - you may need to change the program, your hardware may change and the files may not be usable. And with audacity, the project files cease to work if you move the folders.

Anne

That's the thing with Audacity, isn't it? Maddening.

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

Nice of you to ask. I keep .aup files for solos only until they are edited and turned into MP3s. Then I delete the audacity files (.aup). When the project is cataloged I just move those mp3 files to a folder sneakily named "LV Stuff I've recorded". So the only things I 'keep' would be the MP3 files but in the 8 + years I've been having fun here in LV, I've never had to even open that folder (that I can remember). Dat's it.

You're my hero!

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

Posted: July 1st, 2019, 11:02 pm

by mightyfelix

I agree with Phil and Tricia. The only things I keep long term are my mp3 files. Until I have my PL ok, I keep my files in FLAC format, and use that if I need to make edits. Once I have PL ok on that section, the FLAC is trashed and I just keep the final mp3, just in case I may need to provide it again. (For instance, in case we have a repeat of The Great Server Crash Disaster of 2016.)

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

I agree with Phil and Tricia. The only things I keep long term are my mp3 files. Until I have my PL ok, I keep my files in FLAC format, and use that if I need to make edits. Once I have PL ok on that section, the FLAC is trashed and I just keep the final mp3, just in case I may need to provide it again. (For instance, in case we have a repeat of The Great Server Crash Disaster of 2016.)

Are we allowed to refer to That Event which occurred in 2016?

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

Posted: July 2nd, 2019, 8:08 am

by mightyfelix

Haha yes, I don't believe there are any rules against it. It was really catastrophic, though, which is why I thought it needed the honorific capital letters. It was some time in October, if I recall, and suddenly everything was reset back to a date about 3 weeks prior, back to some time in September. Forum posts, uploads, messages, catalogue, new member registrations, everything that had happened in that three weeks was gone and not recoverable.

Re: Backup and Long Term Storage

Posted: July 2nd, 2019, 11:50 am

by ej400

To be honest, I only save the edited mp3 file that went through audacity. I delete the original unedited files, AFTER I make sure I fixed them. I do delete the edited mp3 files after a project is completed, that way if something comes up right before it goes to catalog, I don't have to worry about loosing the file. Also, when I DPL, I only delete the downloaded file AFTER I'm done PLing. Same with one minutes tests.

This way I'm not storing aup or flac files, and this way it's only recordings for projects that aren't completed yet.